The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor – Filmmakers

The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor builds on Arthur Dong’s 30-year track record of creating compelling documentaries that focus on personal stories to examine moments of history, social prejudice, and public policy concerns. His trilogy of films that investigate anti-gay prejudice were released in the DVD collection, “Stories from the War on Homosexuality,” and features the documentaries Family Fundamentals, Licensed to Kill and Coming Out Under Fire. His films about Chinese Americans were released in the follow-up collection, “Stories from Chinese America,” and includes Sewing Woman, Forbidden City, U.S.A. and Hollywood Chinese. His films have screened theatrically in the U.S., selected for top-tiered festivals worldwide like Sundance, Toronto, and Berlin, and broadcast globally. Arthur’s film excellence awards include an Oscar® nomination, three Sundance awards, the Peabody, five Emmy nominations, the Berlin Film Festival’s Teddy Award, Taiwan’s Golden Horse Award, and two GLAAD Media awards. He has been named a Guggenheim Fellow in Film and twice selected for the Rockefeller Media Arts Fellowship. His many funding sources include the NEH, Ford Foundation, NEA, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, American Film Institute, Cal Humanities, and the Sundance Documentary Fund/John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative. Arthur’s recently published book Forbidden City, USA: Chinatown Nightclubs 1936-1970 won a 2015 American Book Award and the Independent Publisher’s IPPY Award.

WAYNE NGOR, Voice-Overs

Wayne Ngor, nephew of Dr. Haing S. Ngor, reads his uncle’s first-person narration that was written for The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor. In 1975, at the age of two, Wayne was forced into captivity by the Khmer Rouge regime, but eventually made it to America in 1996. Today, he proudly serves as one of NYPD’s finest. Read about Wayne’s recording session.

The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor is Emmy Award-wining composer Mark Adler’s fourth collaboration with Arthur Dong. His previous film scores where he successfully infused Asian instrumentation and themes with contemporary western arrangements can be heard in Dong’s Hollywood Chinese, Wayne Wang’s Eat a Bowl of Tea, and the Sundance award-winning film, Picture Bride. Mark’s other credits include Food, Inc., The Rat Pack, Focus, and Two Days in October.

For the soundtrack of The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor, Bochan created special Khmer lyrics for her song, Like a Rose. She draws on her dual country upbringing to combine influences from urban Oakland with deep-rooted Cambodian inspirations. Bochan’s releases include her solo debut album, Full Monday Moon, and Hello HI, a fusion of Khmer psychedelic rock with urban soul.

Wilson Wu is an award-winning director and designer with over ten years experience with animation, visual effects, motion graphics, and computer-generated imagery. He worked as a director/art director at Imaginary Forces, and since 2008, has been a designer and art director at Guillermo del Toro’s Mirada Studios. Mr. Wu holds an M.F.A. in film from the Art Center of Design in Pasadena.

YORI MOCHIZUKI, Animation Illustrator & Storyboards

Yori Mochizuki is an artist specializing in storyboards, animatics, and concept designs. His feature film credits include Pacific Rim, The LEGO Movie, and Storks. His TV credits include Burn Notice and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

GRANT NELLESSEN, Title Design & Photo Animation

Grant Nellessen’s motion graphics and design work can be seen in the award-winning films, How to Survive a Plague (Oscar® nominee), Vito (Emmy), and I Am Divine. His most recent title and graphic designs are featured in Tab Hunter Confidential. Grant is a graduate of the American Film Institute, earning a MFA in Digital Media.

JOE MILNER, Sound Designer & Re-Recording Mixer

Joe Milner began his career in music, transitioning from performance into engineering and production, and finally into sound for motion pictures. Over a span of 21 years, he’s been involved with over 120 films, including Das Boot: The Director’s Cut, Vanilla Sky, Dogtown and Z-Boys, Ethel, Vito, I Am Divine, One Lucky Elephant, and the Oscar® nominated Last Days In Vietnam.

JOE HOFFMAN, Post Production Supervisor

The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor is Joe Hoffman’s fourth collaboration with filmmaker Arthur Dong. He began his career as a documentary video editor in New York City, moved west as a special effects director/editor, followed by a promotion to VP for Engineering at One Pass/Editel in San Francisco. Joe owns and operates Jump House Design, an integrated media creation company.

Vanara Taing was born at the Khao-I-Dang Refugee Camp to Khmer Rouge survivors. She earned an editing MFA from the American Film Institute Conservatory where she edited eight films as well as wrote the film, Samnang, which focuses on the Cambodian American immigrant community. She was previously an audio producer at StoryCorps, editing their Peabody Award-winning season on NPR’s Morning Edition.

DANIEL MYERS, Second Assistant Editor

Daniel Myers served as editor on the films Dustland, Ni-Ni, and Veladora. His latest credit is for screenwriter on the film, The Other Sister. Dan is a graduate of the American Film Institute, earning a MFA in Film Editing.

ASIROH CHAM, Research Assistant

Asiroh Cham was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and belongs to the Cham ethnic group, which was the largest minority to be executed by the Khmer Rouge. With a master’s degree in Asian American studies from UCLA, Asiroh is also a filmmaker and recently received the Linda Mabalot Legacy Scholarship from Visual Communications for her commitment to community justice and social issue documentary.

JONATHAN DOK, Voice-Overs

Jonathan Dok survived the Cambodian genocide and currently lives in Long Beach, California – home of the largest population of Cambodians outside Cambodia. He starred in the short film Samsang, which was written by Vanara Taing, assistant editor for The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor.

JONATHAN NHEAN, Voice-Overs

Jonathan Nhean was living in Battambang when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in 1975. He appeared in the short films, Paulina and Two Shadows. Jonathan currently lives in Long Beach, California – home of the largest population of Cambodians outside Cambodia.

LUAN UM NHEAN, Voice-Overs

Luan Um Nhean survived the Cambodian genocide and currently lives in Long Beach, California – home of the largest population of Cambodians outside Cambodia. She appeared in the short film, Paulina.